By Yin Nwe Ko

 

THROUGHOUT history, wars and conflicts have caused immense suffer­ing across the globe. While po­litical, economic, and territorial factors often receive the most attention, the true roots of the conflict lie much deeper – within the human mind. Emotions such as fear, anger, greed, and mis­understanding can fuel violence when left unchecked. By under­standing these inner causes, we gain insight into how to prevent future conflicts and create a more peaceful world. Here, let us ex­plore the mental origins of war, the devastating impacts of World War I and II, and how both global scholarly views and the teachings of Gautama Buddha offer solutions that can guide humanity toward lasting peace.

 

Fear and Insecurity

When people feel threatened – whether it’s their lives, commu­nities, cultures, or nations – they try to protect themselves. This feeling sometimes turns into ag­gression, leading to attacks. For example, fear of resource scarcity or concern about losing power of­ten triggers wars.

 

Greed and Lust for Power

In some individuals, an in­tense desire to possess wealth, authority, or territory ignites wars. This greed can spread from the individual level to the national lev­el, often disregarding the rights of others.

 

Differences and Misunder­standings

A lack of understanding about religious, ethnic, or cultural differ­ences can lead to misconceptions, distrust, and hostility. Leaders or groups sometimes exploit this to incite populations toward war.

 

Anger and Desire for Revenge

Throughout history, injus­tices, oppression, and wounds have caused anger and a desire for vengeance to arise in people. These emotions often lead to vi­olence and perpetuate ongoing wars.

 

Group Mentality and Loyalty

Humans naturally tend to be loyal to their groups, ethnicities, or nations. However, this loyalty can create a division between “us” and “them”, making conflicts more likely. All these are part of human nature, and if they can be managed through education, understand­ing, compassion, and dialogue, wars could decrease. However, when these mental states are not controlled, conflicts arise, as wit­nessed throughout history. The following are two prominent ex­amples from world history where human mental states led to wars, as described below.

 

World War I (1914-1918)

Key causes of this war in­cluded fear, lust for power, and group mentality. European na­tions were tense due to mutual distrust, military competition (e.g., arms races), and imperialism. In particular, Germany and Britain vied for dominance, leading to the formation of alliance systems. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand acted as a spark, and the loyalty and fears of nations transformed this conflict into a global war.

 

World War II (1939-1945)

Anger, a desire for revenge, and greed were among the main causes of this war. After World War I, the Treaty of Versailles left Ger­many with a sense of injustice and accumulated resentment. Hitler exploited these feelings, inciting the public’s desire for vengeance and using greed for territorial ex­pansion as a pretext. On the other hand, nations like Japan and Italy, driven by ambitions for resources and power, expanded the war.

 

World War I and World War II had immense impacts on human­ity. Below, I’ll explain the conse­quences of these two major wars.

 

Impacts of World War I

(1914-1918)

Loss of Life and Injuries

Millions of soldiers died, and civilians were also affected. In to­tal, around 16 million people per­ished, and over 20 million were injured. This widespread loss dev­astated families and communities.

 

Economic Collapse

Europe’s economies col­lapsed due to the war, resulting in debts and inflation. The resources used during the conflict signifi­cantly weakened nations.

 

Psychological Trauma

Soldiers experienced con­ditions like “Shell Shock” (now known as PTSD), a form of psy­chological trauma. Much of the population witnessed the war’s brutality, losing confidence in the future.

 

Political Changes

Major empires (e.g., Aus­tro-Hungarian, Russian) disinte­grated, and new nations emerged. However, the Treaty of Versailles, by punishing Germany, planted the seeds for another war.

 

Impacts of World War II

(1939-1945)

Unprecedented Loss of Life

It’s estimated that 70-85 mil­lion people died in this war, most of them civilians. In the Holocaust, 6 million Jews and millions from oth­er groups perished, marking the worst genocide in human history.

 

Infrastructure Destruction

Major cities (e.g., Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Dresden) were bombed and destroyed, ruining homes, fac­tories, and roads. Most nations took decades to rebuild.

 

Psychological and Social Scars

Millions of war refugees be­came homeless, and families were torn apart. The war’s cruelty left deep emotional scars on people’s minds.

 

Technological and Political Shifts

The use of atomic bombs pushed military technology to a new level and led to the Cold War. Organizations like the United Na­tions emerged, and global power shifted to the United States and the Soviet Union. These two wars massively impacted humanity’s physical, psychological, social, eco­nomic, and political lives. The loss of millions of lives, the destruc­tion of cultures, and subsequent conflicts served as warnings to humanity about the terrifying con­sequences of war.

 

When combining the sugges­tions of global scholars with the teachings of Gautama Buddha to bring peace to the world, one can observe that they share similar fundamental principles. Here, I will integrate points from both per­spectives and present a practical solution.

 

Education and Dissemination of Knowledge

Scholars assert that educa­tion within communities is the most fundamental factor for peace. Organizations like UNESCO point out that education can enhance tolerance, understanding, and cooperation.

 

Justice and Equality

Figures like Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai suggest that without social justice and equal rights, lasting peace is impossible. Poverty, discrimina­tion, and inequality are primary causes of conflict.

 

Dialogue and Negotiation

The United Nations’ peace­keeping efforts prioritize dialogue and conflict resolution. Scholars argue that dialogue is essential for building mutual understanding and trust between parties.

 

Emotional Unity

Concepts like psychologist Dr Marshall Rosenberg’s “Nonviolent Communication” highlight empa­thy, listening, and emotional con­nection as key elements of peace.

 

Teachings of Gautama Bud­dha

Gautama Buddha’s teachings guide individuals to purify their hearts and minds, fostering peace in the world. The main teachings include:

 

Loving-Kindness (Metta) and Compassion (Karuna)

In the “Metta Sutta”, Bud­dha instructs us to cultivate lov­ing-kindness towards all beings and treat them with compassion. The saying, “Loving-kindness can extinguish hatred,” is crucial in reducing enmity among people.

 

Moral Discipline (Sila)

The Five Precepts (not killing, not stealing, not engaging in sexu­al misconduct, not lying, not using intoxicants) serve as a foundation to reduce violence and conflict in society. Adhering to these princi­ples elevates individual morality.

 

Patience and Self-Control

The “Dhammapada” states, “Conquer anger with patience.” It advises controlling the mind with mindfulness to reduce anger and greed, helping prevent interper­sonal conflicts.

 

The Noble Eightfold Path

The Noble Eightfold Path (right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right liveli­hood, right effort, right mindful­ness, right concentration) guides individuals to purify their minds and create harmony in the world.

 

Integrated Solution

Combining the suggestions of scholars and Buddha’s teach­ings yields the following practical actions:

 

Integration of Education and Morality

By blending scholars’ empha­sis on education with Buddha’s focus on moral discipline, ethical education can be incorporated into schools. For example, teaching children to practice loving-kind­ness, patience, and nonviolence can nurture a peaceful new gen­eration.

 

Dialogue and Spreading Lov­ing-Kindness

Encouraging dialogue be­tween conflicting parties while binding them with loving-kindness can bridge divides. For instance, political leaders could be urged to implement Buddha’s advice to “overcome anger with loving-kind­ness” in practice.

 

Justice and Compassion

Social justice can be pursued by incorporating Buddha’s com­passion. Helping the poor with not just material aid but also emotion­al support can lead to more sus­tainable peace.

 

Mental Training

Combining Buddha’s mind­fulness practice with scholars’ emotional connection strategies, communities can promote medita­tion and self-control. This enables individuals to manage emotions and reduce conflicts.

 

Scholars focus on knowledge, justice, and dialogue to bring peace to the world, while Gautama Buddha emphasizes purifying the mind with loving-kindness, moral­ity, and mindfulness. Integrating these approaches involves reform­ing individuals’ minds, ensuring just social systems, and fostering communication with compassion to create a peaceful world. This becomes a balanced approach, harmonizing material and mental dimensions.

 

What you’ve said is absolutely correct. Research also indicates that the most effective time to reform an individual’s mind and behaviour is during their youth. It’s only natural that changing deeply ingrained bad habits or thought patterns becomes difficult once someone reaches adulthood and becomes set in their ways. There­fore, I fully support the view that the foundational practices for bringing peace to the world should be taught starting from the prima­ry education level.

 

Basic Practices to Include in Primary Education

Based on the suggestions of global scholars and Gautama Buddha’s teachings mentioned earlier, the following practices can be taught at the primary level:

 

Loving-Kindness and Empa­thy

Children can be taught to show loving-kindness to one anoth­er and understand others’ feelings through practical exercises, such as group games.

 

Patience and Self-Control

Through simple mindfulness exercises, children can learn to control anger and practice pa­tience. For example, breathing exercises or techniques to calm the mind can be introduced.

 

Cooperation

Students can be trained through group projects to build trust with one another and resolve problems through discussion rath­er than violence.

 

Moral Discipline

Basic ethical practices like “not harming others” and “not lying” can be taught using stories or plays to make them easily un­derstandable for children.

 

As the facts pointed out, the foundation for making the world peaceful must be laid from a young age. By systematically teaching loving-kindness, patience, em­pathy, and moral discipline in primary education, children can grow into a new generation that values peace. This approach cant help prevent the terrifying con­sequences of conflicts like World War I and World War II, enabling the construction of a world where all humanity can live in harmony, I believe.